Compartment sleeping car.



PATENTED FBBI's', 1903.

. H. F. HOLLAND.

GOMPARTMENT SLEEPING GAR.

, 7 APPLICATION FILED 1mm 18, 1902.

no MODEL, I a SHEETSSEEET 1.

WITNESSES: NVENTOH 7116150 Am-MNEY No. 719302;. PATENTED FEB. s, 1903.

H. F. HOLLAND.

GOMPARTMENT SLEEPING CAR.

\ APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1902. no MODEL. a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\ $12-- Will/6 \0 r 1. i\" J:

V E3 1 1 l 1 I WITNESSES. m v INVENTOH q I I i. y I

v I I A TTOBNE) N0. 719,802. PATENTED FEB. 3,1903.

11.3. HOLLAND. GOMPARTMEANT SLEEPING "GAR.

APPLIOATION PI'LBD 117R}: 18, 1902. V no MODEL. a SHEETS-SHEET s.

ATTORNEY m: nunms PETERS co PHoro-uma. WASNlNG DN/D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRIS F. HOLLAND, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE HOLLAND PALACE OAR COMPANY, OF INDIAN- APOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

SLEEPING-CAR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 719,802, dated February 3, 1903.

Application filed June 18,1902.

Serial No. 112,158. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRIS F. HOLLAND, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and 5 useful Compartment Sleeping-Oar; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts.

This invention relates to compartment sleepingcars with the partitions or walls of the compartments so arranged and constructed that they are readily removable and when removed the sleeping-car becomes a parlorcar.

The chief feature consists in combining with a car or railway-coach partitions forming the curtains that are flexible in one direction and rigid in the other direction, depending upon the place and position of use, and means for rolling said curtains into and out of chambers or compartments in the sides, floors, or tops of the cars. Such curtains may be made substantially like the roll-curtain in roll-top desks, comprising a series of wooden slats extending in one direction that are held adjacent each other by a suitablyflexible material.

The object of the invention is to provide a car or coach that can readily be converted from an open parlor or day car to a compartment day-car or a sleeping-car by merely drawing out of the walls or floor of the car the curtain partitions or, on the other hand, pushing such curtain partitions out of the way into the sides and floor of the car. In this way the partitions whereby the sleepingcar is divided into berths are made oflight and easily-manipulated material and is at the same time amply strong.

Another important advantage and object of my invention is the making of a compartment-car with partitions that are easily and entirely removable from view.

The features of the invention will appear from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a portion of a sleeping-car o embodying my invention, being a section on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2, with the ends and top of the car broken away and showing one compartment formed and another removed. Fig.

2 is across-section of the car at the point which shows an end elevation of a compartment, a portion of the side and the top of the car not being shown. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of a corner guide-piece. Fig. 4 is a detail of means forsecuring the lower end of the guide-piece to the door. Fig. 5isadetail of the means for securing the upper end of the guide-piece in place. Fig. 6 is a detail of a section of the floor with a roll-curtain pushed down out of. view. 1 Fig. 7is the same as the left half of Fig. 1 with the compartment in process of formation. Fig. 8 is a cross-section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7. Fig.

9 is a longitudinal section on the .line 9 9 of Fig. 2. Fig. 10 is a detail of a lock for holding the curtains in their uppermost position. Fig. 11 is a cross-section of one of the door guide-bars.

- What is shown in the drawings to illustrate my invention consists of the top of a railwaycar 10, the side 11, the floor 12, and the bot tom 13. The car contains chairs 14. The compartments shown here extend almost across the car, as shown in Fig. 2, leaving a corridor longitudinally along one side of the car, like European compartment-cars used in through trains. They are formed of side partitions 15 and front partitions l6 and 17 and a door 18. The side of the car constitutes one side of a compartment, while the other three sides are formed of the partitions mentioned. These walls of the compartment, excepting the door portion thereof, are formed of rollcurtains or other curtains thatare flexible in one direction, but rigid in the other. As

I seen in Fig. 6, they are formed of slats 20, 0

held adjacent each other by canvas 21, with the outer end provided with a T-shaped slat 22. When the compartment is not formed, the curtains rest out of View beneath the floor or within the side Walls. As shown in Fig. 6, there is a guideway 23 beneath the floor 12 and between it and the bottom 13 and havingon each side guiding-grooves 24. This guideway is duplicated at the other end of the roll-curtain. The roll-curtain can be forced down through the floor 12 into the space between said floor and bottom 13, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 1. The top slat 22 limits the downward and forward movement of such curtains, and a suitable slot is provided in the floor 12 of the same conformation as the slot 22 to receive said slat, so that the slat will fit snugly therein and its top will be perfectly even-and flush with the floor 2, whereby it will not interfere with walking on the floor. The position of the two end curtains of the compartment when out of view is as shown in Figs. 6 and l.

The front of the compartment, as has been stated, has the two curtains 16 and the little curtain 17, that are pushed down through longitudinal slots in the floor, similar to that shown in Fig. 6, and when thus pushed down the curtains 16 are in the position shown in Fig. 2, with the innermost or rear part of the curtain extending up into the chamberin the side wall of the car. This is because the length of the curtain is greater than the width of the compartment. It is thus seen that to store said curtains I provide a chamber under the floor and also a chamber in the side wall of the car. The door 18 is detached when the compartment is being removed and may be stored in the upper berth, if there be any, orin any other suitable place. After the door is removed the other curtain 17 is pushed down through Q the fioor like the curtains 16. The guidebars 25 are secured to the floor 12, as shown in Fig. 4. These guideways accommodate and receive onlythe front curtains 16 and 17, and somewhat similar guide-bars 23 (seen in Fig. 8) are secured to the bottom 13 of the car, with similar grooves 24 to receive and guide the end partitions 15 under the front curtains 16 and 17. The end partitions 15 are all turned down in one direction, so that there is only one of such end partitions 15 under each compartment. This makes two layers of curtains under the floor of the compartment, the upper layer consisting of curtains 16 and 17 and the under layer being the curtain 15. In order to make the lower ends of the curtain 16 turn up into the chamber in the side wall of the car, the guideways 23 therefor are curved at the angle'between the bottom and side of the car. The upper guideways 23 rest upon the lower guideways 25 where they cross. The guide-bars 23, located under the ends of the rear sections, are divided into two parts separated sufficiently far to leave a passage-way for the partition or curtain 15, dividing two sections, to be pushed down through it, as appears in Fig. 9.

Having explained the means for storing the curtains forming the compartment, I will now explain the means for guiding and holding the curtains and door while the compartment is being formed and after it is formed. In the first place I provide a stationary guideway 30, secured to the side of the car between each compartment, to furnish a guide for the vertical movement of the left end of the parmecca tition 15, as shown in Fig. 2. That guideway is in cross-section like the guideway 31, excepting it has only the groove 32, and that groove faces inward. At the inner corner of the compartment I secure the guide-bar 31, which in cross-section is as shown in Fig. 3, having an inwardly-facing groove 32 and two side grooves 33. Its smooth back surface faces the corridor. Two pins 34 are secured at the lower end of this guide-bar 31 to fit in corresponding sockets in the guide-bar 23, securedin the floor, as shown in Fig. 4. These pins 34 hold the lower end of the guide-bar 31 stationary, while the upper end is held in place by a spring-latch 35, that enters a suitable socket in the bar 36 at the top of the car. This latter arrangement is shown in Fig. 5, the lower edge of the top bar 36 being beveled in one direction and the upper end of the guide-bar 31 being beveled in the reverse direction. This connection is such that it may be readily made or the guide-bar 31 readily removed. When the guide-bar 31 is put in place, the end curtain 15 may be drawn up out of the floor into the position shown in Fig. 2, and it is held in its uppermost position by the lock 37, as shown in Fig. 10. Preferably there are two of these locks for each curtain 15.

The front wall of the compartment has also .two'guide-bars 38, that are in cross-section like the guide-bars 31, that are above the door, as shown in Fig. 3, excepting they do not have the groove 32, and below the top of the door they are in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 11. As there shown, the side of the bars 38 that receive the door has a groove, but not so deep as above the door, and the outer flange is wider than the inner flange, so as to furnish a stop to prevent the outward movement of the door, as an ordinary doorcasing. This arrangement accommodates the door and at the same time guides the vertical-movement of the little curtain 17. WVhen these guide-bars 38 are put in place, the curtains 16 are drawn up and locked at the top, and then the curtain 17 is drawn up and locked at the top. Then the door is put in place by the-hinges 39, being common sliphinges that permit the removal of a door by lifting it. The door is provided with a suitable lock.

The arrangement of the bed or chairs within the compartment is immaterial to this invention. Such arrangement may be adopted as may be desired.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car, a compartment with one side thereof consisting of a side wall of the car and one or more of the other sides of the compartment formed of vertically-movable curtains, and slots in the floor of the ear registering with the position of the curtains through which they may be moved out of the way.

2. In a car, a compartment having one or more of its walls formed of vertically-movable curtains, slots in the floor of the car registering with the position of the curtains through which they may be moved out of the way, and means for supporting the upper ends of the curtains while the com partmentis formed.

3. In a car, a compartment having one or more of its walls formed of vertically-movable curtains, slots in the floor of the car registering with theposition of the curtains through which they may be moved out of the way, and a block on the upper ends of the curtains adapted to close said slots.

4:. In a compartment-car, vertically-movable curtains for forming the walls of a compartment, chambers in the floor of the car with slots therein registering with the position of the curtains, and means for guiding and moving said curtains into and out of said chambers.

5. In a compartment-car, vertically-movable curtains for forming the walls of a compartment, chambers in the floor of the car to receive said curtains, and slots or openings therein through which said curtains may be moved into or out of said chambers.

6. In acompartment-car, curtains for forming the walls of a compartment, a chamber in the floor of the car for receiving said curtains having a slot registering with the position of the curtains, and guideways in said chamber for guiding the movement of the curtain therein.

7. In a compartment-car, curtains for forming the walls of a compartment, a chamber in the floor of the car for receiving said curtains that has a slot in it registering with the curtains, the slot being larger at the top than at the bottom, guideways in the chamber for guiding the movement of the curtain therein, and a top piece secured to the curtain adapted to fit snugly in the slot in the floor and be flush with the top of the floor.

8. In a compartment-car, curtains for forming the side and front of a compartment, a chamber under the floor of the car for receiving said curtains provided with suitable slots registering with the position of the curtains,

. and guidewaysin said chamber to guide the movement of the curtains therein, the guideways for one set of said curtains being above the guideways for the other set so that said curtains will not interfere with each other during their movement in said chamber.

9. In a compartment-car, curtains flexible in one direction and rigid in the other for forming the front wall of a compartment a chamber in the floor of the car having a slot therein that registers with the curtain,a chamber in the side of the car that communicates with the chamber in the floor of the car, guideways in said chambers leading from the slot in the floor of the car to guide the movement of the curtains therein.

10. In a car, a compartment with one or more of its walls formed of vertically-mow able curtains, and vertical guideways located between the wall on one side of the car and the wall on the opposite side of the car for guiding and holding the curtains in place.

11. Inacompartn1ent-car,curtains forformingthe walls of a compartment, and removable guideways secured in the car for guiding and holding said curtains in place.

12. Inacompartment-car,curtains forforming the walls of a compartment, removable guideways secured in the car for guiding and holding said curtains in place, and a lock for locking,the curtains in position.

13. In acompartment-car,curtains forfo rming the walls of a compartment, a chamber in the floor of the car provided with a slot through which the curtain may be inserted or withdrawn from said chamber, vertical guideways removably secured in the car to guide and hold said curtain in its elevated position, and a look at the upper end of the curtain for locking it in its closed position.

14:. In a compartment-car, a number of guideways removably secured in the car, verticallymovable curtains slidablebetween said guide-bars for forming the front wall of a compartment, one of said curtains being elevated sufficiently to leave room for a door, and a door removably hinged between a pair of said guide-bars.

15. In a car, a compartment one wall of which is formed of the side wall of the car, vertically-movable curtains for forming the other three walls of the compartment, and a removable vertical guide-piece at each inner corner of the compartment having guideways for guiding and holding the adjacent edges of the two curtains.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named.

HARRIS F. HOLLAND.

Witnesses:

V. H. LOCKWOOD, NELLIE ALLEMONG. 

